I am fairly certain that the last intact surviving polygamist trio were the parents of Camilla Eyring (Spencer) and Henry Eyring Sr: dual sister wives Caroline and Emma Cottam Romney Eyring, married husband Edward Eyring (current apostle Henry Eyring is their grandson). They lived into the mid-1950s, when Caroline died, leaving Emma and Edward behind as an apparently monogamous couple, though they too passed within a few years.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18325770

There must have been widowed survivors of polygamous unions (i.e. one member of the family survived) who lived into the 1960s or even 70s. GIven that polygamous marriages were being performed up until 1904-7, someone born in 1890 who entered into such a union could have survived into the 1970s.

Anyone know of surviving mainstream polygamists who survived beyond the Eyring family?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 05:23PM by PtLoma.

Hi there Pt. Long time no c.

My mom grew up down the street from the Eyrings and the Kimballs.

My polygamous Grandma Becky along with many other refugee plygs from Mexico had taken up refuge in the Gila Valley of AZ.

She died in the 40's making her one of the oldest of her kind.

Thanks. I read the board all the time, I just don't always post because I can't read the board at work, so by the time I find a thread to which I could contribute, usually someone else has already posted something very similar to what I intended to say ;)

I once read an online essay by D. Michael Quinn that stated that children may have been born into polygamous families as late as the early 1930s, given that some of the 1900-1907 plural brides would have been in their 40s and still fertile by the dawn of the 1930s.

When you teach TBMs about this little-known genealogic fact (that FP First Counselor Henry Eyring had polygamous grandparents----it isn't THAT distant in the past if Eyring is still living and serves in a very prominent leadership role), they are just stunned. None of them seem to have had any clue that mainstream LDS polygamy persisted into mid-20th century.

PtLoma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> When you teach TBMs about this little-known
> genealogic fact (that FP First Counselor Henry
> Eyring had polygamous grandparents----it isn't
> THAT distant in the past if Eyring is still living
> and serves in a very prominent leadership role),
> they are just stunned. None of them seem to have
> had any clue that mainstream LDS polygamy
> persisted into mid-20th century.


I doubt that too many people would be surprised. Mitt Romney's his father was born in a polygamous compound (although they didn't practice polygamy themselves). I'm pretty sure that fact was pretty well known in 2012.

EDIT: Didn't realize until now that there was a good reason Henry Eyring's family and Mitt Romney's family were born in the same compound--they are related. They have the same great-grandfather, though through different (polygamous) wives.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 09:10PM by apawst8.

Correct, though George's parents (Mitt's grandparents) were monogamous. It was George's grandparents (Mitt's great-grandparents) who were polygamous.

I was in elementary school when Romney mulled a run for President in 1968. I remember the citizenship question (born in Mexico to US citizen parents) being discussed in terms of his eligibility to run. At the time, as a never-Mo, I thought George's parents were missionaries. I did not understand that almost all LDS missionaries are either young single adults or mature, empty nester couples. I suppose here and there a young-ish MP couple has had a baby abroad, but the Colonias as I now know were not a hotbed of mission activity (i.e. not where an MP and wife would have been assigned).

http://images.archives.utah.gov/data/81448/4093689/4093689_0024.jpg

It lists Camilla Eyring Spencer as daughter and source of information. It appears that at some point in her terminal illness, Caroline moved from AZ to SLC to be cared for by Camilla (brother Henry was a famous chemist; a third sibling was an English teacher in metro SLC and may have been involved in her mother's care).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 09:18PM by PtLoma.

A great-grandaunt of mine was a plural wife (2nd of 2; married 1884), she died in 1957.

Husband died 1938; his 1st wife died 1929.

In 1953 when I was a student at BYU in Provo, we lived next door to the very old widow of apostle John W. Taylor, one of the defiant polygamist apostles.

I knew a mainstream polygamist man who died while I was on my mission in 1960/1962. My parents attended his funeral at a LDS funeral parlor. It was though unwise to hold it in a LDS building. He was a nice old guy, who enjoyed talking with a convert (me).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 08:48PM by george.

Wow, so far that takes the cake, a survivor who lived into the 1960s. From what I have read, the Eyring family was not closeted away or isolated from active LDS life, evidently have served as ordinance workers in the Mesa Temple.

Here's a link to a group who were rounded up in the 1940's. I think the offshoot groups began after these trials when it became too public.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogspolygblog/52450430-185/prison-barlow-nearly-polygamous.html.csp



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 09:10PM by Devoted Exmo.

I recall a speaker at a Fireside in Utah in about 1963 or so that was a granddaughter or great granddaughter of one of Brigham Young's wives. She was great fun to listen to.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?pid=126752589

Evidently Caroline and Edward Eyring had NINE children (Caroline's findagrave.com page lists only three children) and what appears to have been second to last of them died only in 2009---she grew up in a polygamous household. The obit lists TWO sibling survivors, so as of 2009 there were still two surviving children of Caroline and Edward Eyring (both daughters), who are aunts of the current Henry Eyring.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2014 09:44PM by PtLoma.

My great great aunt passed at age 103 in 1976, was a polygamist, though her husband passed in the early 50s.

My grandfather, born in the 1880s passed at age 99. He would tell us stories he heard from his aunt and grandmother, both were plural wives of Joseph Smith.

Wow, a polygamist surviving into the 1970s, which I figured must have happened running the math in my initial post. So far this is the latest anyone here has documented a surviving widow or widower of a polygamous family.

Pt. Loma, I'm kicking myself for not keeping the record, but when I was newly out and still sharing info with DW, I located a polygamist "mainstream" member guy who passed in the early-mid seventies. I did the genealogy search and death records etc., and verified this guy, but then I put it out of my mind, as I thought DW recorded the record. She did not, and now I have no record, only a memory.

I do know it was a childless marriage. At some point in the 1920s she moved back home to care for a family member. In the 30s she inherited the property and at some point before 1951 her husband had moved in with her and had passed away.

She was not buried near her husband but next to her parents.

I was always fond if her. When I visit her grave there is always a set of flowers so I know at least one cousin remembers her. Once I am gone though, I wonder if anyone will left that will know her story.

The first church president or prophet that wasnt a polyg or son of a polyg was not as far back as you would think.

1951

McKay

Joseph Fielding Smith was the son of polygamist Joseph F Smith. He was church president 1970 -1971.

Holy crap he was one of 48 children. Thanks for catching this.

Wow.

In 1972 there was still a prophet who was the son of a polyg wow.

But we have nothing to do with polygamy! ! Well, for 40 yrs.

Grant had practiced polygamy, but by the time he became President, only his third/last wife, with whom he had no children, still survived, so they appeared to be monogamous. His successors were all monogamous, from 1945 onward.

There is are a number of official LDS photos of him with third wife Augusta and either children or grandchildren, but none of the children/grandchildren are Augusta's---they were all born to his first and second wives, and at one point he'd lived together with all three. Here is a photo of Heber and Augusta "with their nine daughters" (but none of them were born to Augusta):

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/manual/09797/heber-grant-family_1150749_inl.jpg

When I lived in El Paso, I had for some years a close friend named Pratt. His mother was maiden named Whetten. His mother's mother lived with them. I do not know her maiden name, but she had been in a polygamist relationship in one or another of the Mexico colonies. This was in early 70s.

Fascinating thread.

What happened to the existing poly families when polygamy was outlawed? Were the marriages allowed to stand or were all wives but the first left in limbo?

The comments in the SLTrib Barlow article referenced above say that the husband was basically expected to abandon all wives but the first legal one, but the Eyring links imply that the husband continued a relationship with both wives.

Neither Manifesto (1890, 1904) address existing polygamous families. They simply banned NEW plural marriages. Existing polygamous families were permitted to continue. Church President Joseph F Smith had multiple wives beyond 1904 and the family was left intact.

Church claims that "we ended polygamy in 1890" are not entirely accurate, since we have documentation that an intact polyg family survived into the 1950s, and widowed survivors of polygamy survived at least into the 1970s.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2014 10:04AM by PtLoma.

Plural marriages involving two or more LIVING wives are no longer consummated, but "eternal" plural marriages are regularly performed in Mormon temples all the time. Several recent general authorities have been sealed to additional wives following the death of their previous spouse. And the church has always taught that polygamy will again be openly practiced during the millennium.

The truth of the matter is that, technically speaking, THE MORMON CHURCH HAS NEVER DONE AWAY WITH POLYGAMY. All statements to the contrary are clear misrepresentations. That's the very reason they avoid direct confrontation with fundamentalist Mormon groups and like to pretend that they don't exist.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2014 11:33AM by Templar.

My maternal grandmother was one of four "plural" wives. She died in '45. Two sister wives preceded her. One in '32 and the other in '42. Their shared spouse preceded them all in '25. If you would like to know about his very highly unorthodox creation, just read Quinn's "Extensions of Power", p 754 under March 5, 1857.

The final wife died in '53.

She died in about 1949. I must have met her when I was a toddler but can't remember. I did hear stories of her for many years.

There are still many mainstream polygamists in wards across the West but they are now covert.

Thank youPTLoma and Templar for answering my Q. Very interesting. There must have been many poly families in Utah who were seem as exemplary Mormons at the time they married and became increasingly embarrassing to their descendants as time went on.

Mormons I've known were very proud of their polygamist families until possibly the last twenty years or so.

Cheryl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mormons I've known were very proud of their
> polygamist families until possibly the last twenty
> years or so.


I was at a gathering at a TBM friend's home only a year or two ago at which another guest who was LDS--a lady probably between 60 and 70--was very openly and proudly chatting about her polygamous ancestors. She knew that I and several other gusts were neverMos. Maybe it's only older Mormons are still proud of it.

Here's some more interesting information about how the polygamists were slowly breaking away from mainstream LDS in the period from 1912 or so, until the 1930's when they were under a lot of pressure, to the arrests in the mid 1940's. After the arrests, they saw themselves as mainstream LDS, but the position became untenable.

http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V38N01_77.pdf